


AU - Bet Your Life

by Aria6



Series: A Coyote's Stories [41]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe, Illnesses, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-13 01:49:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3363269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria6/pseuds/Aria6





	AU - Bet Your Life

Starrk stuck his hands in his pockets, standing in his habitual slouch as the verdict was read.

"…For assisting us in the defeat of Aizen Sosuke, Coyote Starrk will be pardoned of all crimes and granted a place in the Gotei 13 if he wishes to take it." Ah. Troublesome. The laconic man sighed, glancing at the other prisoners. Grimmjow was giving him a murderous look while Halibel was simply resigned. She had not been able to contribute to Aizen's fall, given that he'd stabbed her in the back. Still, her punishment would likely be fairly minor. Grimmjow would not be so lucky after all his failed attempts to kill the Kurosaki boy.

Starrk dismissed them from his mind. They were unimportant. He'd joined Aizen for one purpose and one purpose only, which was not going to happen. He'd know that as soon as he'd seen Halibel fall, drawing on the force within him to rise and take his revenge against the man who had betrayed him. But joining the Gotei 13… he reached up to rub his forehead for a moment, feeling the rough rasp of his leather glove.

"Congratulations Starrk-san!" He easily avoided a slap on the back, giving the man who had tried to touch him a dull glower.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I do not like being touched, taichou-san?" That was really beyond annoying. The other man gave him a bright smile.

"Ah, but have I not made it obvious what I want from you?" He had, too. Starrk's mouth tugged in an unwilling smile. Despite his bitterness and pain, Kyoraku Shunsui was amusing in his singlemindedness.

"And have I not made it obvious that you will never have it?" He said rhetorically and saw the other man pout.

"Not even a kiss?" Shunsui said coaxingly before getting too close again. Starrk was tempted to move closer and breathe in his ear but he knew that would be unwise. Instead, he lay a leather clad finger across the other man's lips.

"If I kiss you, taichou-san, you will die." He said softly, seeing those grey eyes widen. "Horribly." He shoved the other man away before turning to some of the others. The man with the white hair was watching them, of course. "When will I need to make my decision?"

"Within the next month." The old man said and Starrk nodded before leaving the room. He was the only one of the three not in chains.

He had a great deal to think about.

* * *

"You asked for a meeting with the three of us?" The old man asked. Starrk nodded, reaching for his teacup. This was an informal audience. He wasn't sure how much of his secrets would need to be spread through the Gotei 13, but Yamamoto and Shunsui would both have to know. And Juushiro would understand his predicament better than anyone else.

"Yes. You are aware of how my powers work?" Starrk asked as he sipped his tea. It was Juushiro who answered.

"You have harnessed the power of self-sacrifice." Juushiro's gaze was very straightforward and somewhat curious. "Although I don't understand how someone like you could follow Aizen. To hold the power you do… you must be a very holy man."

"Mmm. Would you consider yourself holy, Ukitake taichou?" Starrk said with just the tiniest dose of sarcasm. Juushiro blushed lightly, looking down into his tea.

"He is a special case." The old man said firmly. Starrk knew what he meant. Juushiro's illness was his suffering and the source of his power. He smiled before sipping his tea.

"As am I." He said calmly, setting down his teacup and meeting the other man's eyes. "I am an asymptomatic carrier of the Dengue jungle fever. A Typhoid Mary, if you will." He glanced at Shunsui to see the man staring at him in shock. "The disease is carried in my bodily fluids. Blood, saliva, semen and waste. Theoretically, I can be touched safely but I prefer to avoid it. There is a minor risk that contact with my skin could result in infection." He said, glancing at his gloves. Then Juushiro spoke.

"I have never heard of that disease." He sounded shaken and Starrk shrugged.

"It is very rare and extremely lethal. Ninety percent of those infected die within two days. I was one of the rare, lucky ones… but not so lucky, as it turned out." He flexed his hand, the leather making a small sound. "My kiss is death. To have sex with me is to die in agonizing pain. I must deny myself everything, to keep those around me safe." Starrk smiled then, a rueful twist of his lips. "Indeed, I am a holy man." The lengths of self-denial he practiced… it gave him great spiritual power. "I would give anything to give it up." He said softly, glancing at Shunsui again. There was sympathy on his face now and it hurt to see. "Aizen promised me that, when he became a god, he would remove this curse from me. And I could finally be free." Free to touch without fear. Free to take a lover, to be normal. "Ah, well." It could not happen now.

"I see." The old man sounded completely non-judgmental. "How do you avoid transmitting this disease?" He asked and Starrk answered as best he could.

"I am very careful. When I eat, I use only surfaces that are easy to disinfect and take care to touch them with an incineration spell. My waste… tends to not be an issue. The virus is relatively fragile and can only exist outside my body for a certain length of time. Longer in hot environments… I never, ever go to public spas." Starrk paused for a moment before shrugging slightly. "I treat myself as a toxic agent. The greatest danger is the unexpected… once, I was in a bar and a man punched me in the face for absolutely no reason. He bloodied my nose and died shortly thereafter." Starrk hadn't felt terribly bad about it. There had been absolutely nothing he could have done to prevent it.

"Couldn't you use condoms?" Shunsui asked and Starrk gave him a look of absolute disbelief. It grew as he realized the other man was hopeful.

"If you want to play Russian roulette. They do break, taichou-san." He said with no small amount of sarcasm. "And I say it again. There is a small chance of infection from my skin. That chance might increase with contact with my sweat."

"Shunsui…" Juushiro's tone was warning and his friend closed his mouth on whatever protest he'd been about to make. Starrk was glad of that as Yamamoto came back to the main topic.

"I will have to explain this to the rest of the Gotei 13. However, I see no reason why you cannot remain." The old man was smart enough to realize that Starrk was giving him the chance to withdraw his offer. "You clearly controlled this well enough to be among the Espada."

"Mmm. Aizen gave us great wings and I was left mostly alone, because of this. But if you can explain the situation to the others, I will accept." Starrk really didn't want to be alone again. And despite the isolation his disease imposed on him, having comrades was comforting. Although… "I do have a daughter. She – "

"How could you have a daughter with your disease?" Shunsui pounced on that tidbit and Starrk sighed, reaching up to rub his face.

"I was not born this way, taichou-san. And I was very foolish at sixteen. She caught the disease as well but very luckily, survived. We were almost the only survivors in our village." He said patiently and the man actually blushed a little at the tone. "I've had her at a boarding school, paid for by Aizen. But if she can come here…" That would be ideal. Lilinette was the one person, the only person who could touch him without fear. The Espada's wings had not included a school for children but the Gotei 13 was different. Yamamoto nodded.

"She will be welcome at the Academy." The old man said it as if he had no doubt that Lilinette had power. Which was actually a good bet. Starrk knew she would never be the strongest, but she did have some talent. He nodded. "Is that all you wished?"

"Yes." That was really about it. "Thank you." With the meeting over, Starrk made his polite goodbye's before leaving the room. But someone followed him.

"Starrk, I – I'm sorry." Shunsui suddenly said and Starrk blinked at him. "For teasing you. I had no idea…" He was actually looking rather despondent, depressed. It wasn't a very good look on him.

"I know." Starrk gave him a crooked smile. "Look on the bright side, taichou-san. You didn't get any of my blood on you when we were fighting." He said lightly and Shunsui suddenly looked startled. "I would consider that a minor miracle. Someone was looking out for you, hmm?"

"Hah! Yes, I suppose. You know, I've never heard of this disease. I'll have to speak to Retsu…" He mused and Starrk eyed him dubiously. Did the man think there was some way around this? Shaking his head, he left the room, intending to go back to his suites.

His power was based on self-denial. He was not willing to take chances with another's life.

* * *

"OI! Starrk!" A hard hand hit him in the head. Starrk yelped in pain. "Finally! I've been missing you, you bastard!"

"Lilinette." He smiled up at his daughter. She glared down at him, clearly tired of his sleeping already. "How have you been?" He asked as he sat up, rubbing his head.

"A lot better now that I'm back with you! I hated that boarding school! Those bitches…" Starrk just let the complaints wash over him, just enjoying her presence. Lilinette was very feisty. He was sure she'd given as good as she got, dealing with 'those bitches'. "OI! Are you listening?"

"Of course I am." He said immediately. "Don't worry, you won't be going back there. You'll be going to the Academy and you'll get to learn magic." He assured her and her eyes lit up a bit at the thought.

"Yeah! Magic! That would be great! Not that I'll ever be a dynamo like you." She said and Starrk winced. "Oh, sorry Starrk." Lilinette said contritely and he managed to smile at her.

"Be glad you're not. You'd be a virgin forever." He said lightly and she made a face. She wasn't noticing boys yet and thought the entire business was gross. "You'll want the experience someday, believe me." At least he had a few fond memories. Lilinette was proof of that. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Whatever. Come on, take me to see things!" She commanded and he laughed, taking her hand.

Having his daughter with him was a dream come true. Starrk had missed her terribly, as an Espada. They went to a local open air market and soon Lilinette was buying all kinds of things. Starrk smiled and let her. Aizen had paid him well, as an Espada, and he had a nice little cushion at the moment.

"We could only wear the school uniforms. This is great!" She chirped and he had to restrain himself from telling her the Academy had a uniform, too. She'd find out soon enough. "Oh Starrk, get a scarf, get a scarf!" She said as she pulled out a brilliant scarlet scarf with an irregular black pattern on it. Starrk laughed as she wound it around his neck, beaming.

"Alright, alright." It did look good on him. Starrk paid for it with a smile, the money leaving his gloved fingers. Not once had it touched his body. He was careful about such things. "Shall we get some ice cream?" Ice cream was good, since he could eat the cone. There was no chance of contamination. Lilinette beamed at the thought.

"Oh yeah!" She said and Starrk led her to an ice cream parlor. He loved ice cream and had been there several times before. "Ooooh, I want the maple pecan! Or maybe the rocky road? Or, or the double chocolate cookie dough? Or…" Starrk let her peer at the selections, flitting back and forth like a little bee. He almost missed the tinkle of the door opening. Almost, but not quite. Glancing over he held back a groan.

"Taichou-san." He said politely as the man smiled at him. "This is my daughter, Lilinette Gingerbuck. Lilinette, this is Kyoraku Shunsui." He introduced the man and Lilinette waved to him briefly before going back to the important business of selecting a flavor. Shunsui looked at her with some surprise.

"She's, ah… older than I thought." He said and Starrk smiled wryly. "How old are you, Starrk-san?"

"Old enough." He said easily and Shunsui blinked before laughing. "One of my power can disguise signs of aging. You should know that." If Shunsui wasn't doing the same thing he'd eat his new scarf. "Would you like some ice cream, taichou-san?" He asked, mostly to be polite. Shunsui smiled at him brightly.

"I would love some ice cream!" He said and Starrk wondered what he was up to. Surely he'd given up any carnal desires for him. Turning his attention to the flavors, he quickly selected maple pecan for himself. Shunsui wanted raspberry swirl and Lilinette finally settled on double chocolate cookie dough. They got them in waffle cones and Starrk paid for everything.

"So this is that guy you fought, Starrk?" Lilinette asked and he nodded. "You're lucky you didn't get sick, cutting him up like that." She said with her usual callousness and Starrk glanced up at the ceiling as Shunsui looked rather taken aback.

"You know, I almost died Lilinette. I might appreciate a bit of sympathy… ow!" She'd just punched him in the shoulder. He rubbed himself, frowning at her. She was getting much stronger.

"Stop whining! You're too messed up to die." Lilinette said firmly and he huffed at her before eating his ice cream. It was delicious… maple was among his favorite flavors. "I bet you weren't even badly hurt."

"…" Starrk shook his head, unwilling to admit that she was right. He'd been hurt but the fire inside his body had rebuilt him so quickly and even faster when he'd seen Aizen's betrayal. That had fueled the power of righteousness that always infused him. The wound Kyoraku had dealt him had fully closed and been nearly healed when he'd engaged Aizen. "If I were not what I am, I would be dead." He said and she sneered at him.

"But you are! Enjoy." He looked down at his ice cream, unable to stop the flash of hurt across his face. "Oh geeze! I'll give you a big soppy kiss when we're done, how's that?" Lilinette said and Starrk had to smile. There was a chuckle across from them.

"You're so sweet together! Tell me. What was that fever like?" He asked Lilinette and Starrk paused in his eating for a moment. Why was he…? But Lilinette answered.

"At first? Really bad. Like, super bad. Aches, throwing up, huge fever… but after a while the fever gets so bad that you totally lose track of everything. It wasn't too bad after that. I was having crazy dreams and totally out of it… hallucinating I guess. Starrk was still well then and he managed to pack me with ice he stole from the only clinic we had. No one had freezers." She said and Shunsui blinked as Starrk grimaced. That reminded him of the squalor of his childhood. They had been extremely poor, back then. "He got sick just when I was getting better and I tried to take care of him… by that time the whole place was pretty much deserted so I got ice on him too. Dunno if it really helped, I'm sure a lot of people did that."

"Recovery was not fun. We were aching and sick for almost a week afterwards." Starrk said quietly. "Fortunately, there was a fair amount to eat." They'd just taken what was left in the other's homes, often pausing to bury the bodies. Not really deeply enough, but he hadn't had much strength to spare.

"The really bad part was figuring out that Starrk was still sick. We killed, I dunno, eight people before he figured it all out?" Lilinette said and Starrk flinched at the memory. It hadn't been his fault, he knew it hadn't but he'd sparked a small epidemic. "Then he got taken in by a shaman who saw he could harness it and become super powerful. He was pretty cool, not scared at all. He taught Starrk a lot before someone heard he was a carrier an' started going on about it."

"We left so we wouldn't put my mentor in danger. Not long after that, Aizen found us." They had just been floating aimlessly, with Starrk using healing magics on the poor for what little they could spare. Until Aizen had detected his massive power and scooped him up, promising him everything and delivering nothing. "Was that what you wanted, taichou-san?" Starrk asked with just the slightest edge of sarcasm. Shunsui gave him another of those bright smiles, the ones that made his stomach tighten with pain.

"Yes, that was very helpful Starrk-san." He said before standing, cone in hand. "But I really should go back to my Division. Could you perhaps stop by tomorrow for tea?" He asked and Starrk rubbed his eyes with one hand.

"Very well." He had no idea why Shunsui still desired his company, but it wasn't as though he had much to do. His duties were not yet set. The other man smiled at him and Lilinette before leaving. She looked after him curiously.

"That guy likes you. I mean, a lot. Is he nuts?" She asked and Starrk sighed, flicking his tongue over his ice cream.

"Yes, I think so." Certainly, he might be tempting. Starrk thought he had a fairly realistic grasp of his physical attractiveness and knew he was a very handsome man. But the near certainty of horrible death put most people off. It didn't seem to be deterring Shunsui, which was bizarre. "Perhaps he just wants to be friends." Lilinette gave him a skeptical look.

"Yeah, I don't think so. He wants to bone you bad. Oh well, his funeral." She said callously before eating the last of her cone. "I'm done! C'mon, let's go." She said and Starrk followed her out of the store, still working on his cone. He was slower but it hardly mattered as they went back to the market, Lilinette stopping to look at a display of jewelry.

He was there to provide money and carry purchases. He didn't much care to buy things for himself.

* * *

What happened the next day convinced Starrk that Kyoraku Shunsui was a lunatic.

They had tea together and played chess. That was quite fun and Starrk was enjoying himself. The trouble came when he was about to leave.

"You know what I see when I look at you, Starrk?" Shunsui asked him and Starrk blinked as the man moved closer to him, automatically taking a step backwards. Then a hand tangled in his scarf, keeping him from backing away.

"I… have no idea." A handsome yet lonely man? A powerful wizard? There were many things Shunsui could see… but the man surprised him, not for the first time.

"I see a risk worth taking." He said and Starrk opened his mouth to speak. That was a huge mistake because lips were suddenly over his, a tongue shoving into his mouth. Starrk was paralyzed for a moment as his mouth was explored, his deadly saliva sampled. Then he abruptly shoved Shunsui away, despite the fact that it was far too late.

"You idiot…!" He couldn't believe it. Starrk simply couldn't believe it. "You've just… come with me to the Fourth! Immediately!" There was an incubation period but it was short. There was a reason the disease was not considered a major threat… despite the lethality, it burnt out so quickly that unless there was transmission vector like himself, it was no real threat to the larger community. Shunsui would be showing the first signs before the day was out and he would be infectious himself within a few hours.

"Starrk, calm down – " Shunsui started but he wasn't listening as he dragged the man away. Shunsui went with him, perfectly calm. "I consulted with Retsu and she said your disease is so lethal because of the lack of good medical care. With our facilities I will have at least a fifty-fifty chance – "

"That's not good!" Starrk snapped, blinking to hold back tears. He had never wanted to kill someone this way again. Shunsui had taken the choice away from him. As soon as they got to the Fourth he spoke to the healers, urgently. "Where is Unohana Retsu? Shunsui has been infected with my disease." He said and the man he was speaking to went pale. No doubt they had all been briefed on his illness.

"I will get her sir…" Everyone ignored Shunsui's protests and soon he was bundled into a room. Only a short time later, Juushiro showed up. He was out of breath.

"What happened?" He asked and Starrk rubbed his face before explaining the situation. "…I thought it would be that." Juushiro sounded drained and unhappy. "He's very obsessive sometimes and I knew he hadn't given up on you."

"Well, if he survives he'll get what he wants." Starrk said tiredly. "He's gambled his life to get in my pants. I can hardly refuse him now." He grumbled and Juushiro gave him a wan smile, very worried for his friend. Starrk was extremely worried as well. He knew how bad the sickness was. Then Unohana walked into the room, catching both their attentions.

"He's just fine for now although he will soon be infectious. He wants to see you both." She said and Starrk bit his lip as Juushiro nodded. She showed them to Shunsui's room. He was in bed and looking rather disgruntled.

"I wish everyone would calm down. I feel fine!" He said immediately as they stepped in and Juushiro gave him a severe look.

"You won't. Shunsui, how could you do something so stupid and reckless?" He asked as he settled into a chair beside his best friend. Shunsui shrugged with a small smile.

"Indeed. Sex is never worth risking your life." Starrk added as he took a seat. Shunsui's smile warmed as he looked at him.

"What if I would like more than sex from you?" He asked and Starrk blinked before giving the man a dirty look.

"You don't even know me, taichou-san." This was absurd. But Shunsui's smile only deepened, faint lines appearing by his eyes.

"Ah, Starrk, but I want to. And if you know that you cannot touch me, you'll never let me get close." He said and Starrk looked down, biting his lip as he felt the truth of that. The other man was right. He kept his distance so no one would ever be tempted to touch him, to hold him, to force a kiss on him. Shunsui had completely bypassed that. Looking at his gloves, he heaved out a small sigh before tugging free the right one, finger by finger. When his hand was free he reached out, taking Shunsui's hand in his own. The feel of warm skin against his own was so foreign, so unusual.

"You're right. I hope it doesn't cost you your life." Starrk said softly and Shunsui just smiled. Then Juushiro spoke.

"Nanao is going to be extremely upset about this. All her effort towards making you stay healthy, wasted." He said with a small smile and Shunsui winced theatrically. "And what your family will say…"

"Oh kami! Please, don't mention them. Horrifying!" Shunsui said and Starrk smiled sadly as he listened to them banter. They were making good memories, saying goodbye in a way. Just in case Shunsui died of this.

It only took a few hours for Shunsui to start feeling the illness. For him it started with a headache. He rubbed his forehead and Starrk could see the sweat beading there. Unohana gently shoo'd Juushiro out of the room but allowed Starrk to stay. There was no chance that he could catch the disease, after all.

"This is highly unpleasant…" Shunsui murmured as Unohana ran an exploratory kido over his body.

"Your temperature is rising as the virus continues to multiply. We will begin the anti-viral procedures…" What followed was beyond Starrk, although he watched closely. His training with healing kido was mostly along the lines of healing bones and cuts, encouraging the body to heal itself. Fighting an infection like this was something he wanted to learn. Shunsui's temperature continued to soar and he lapsed into delirium, absolutely convinced he was in the Academy and late with a report. Starrk did his best to help soothe him as they continued working to save his life.

To Starrk surprise, Shunsui also developed bad diarrhea. That hadn't been something he and Lilinette had suffered. Retsu had an explanation, though.

"This is primarily what kills with this disease." She said calmly as they worked on Shunsui, setting up a fluid drip. "I've done quite a bit of research since you joined us. If you and your daughter did not have this, it may explain why you survived." She said and Starrk swallowed, nodding. "Do not be concerned. Dehydration is the killer… if we can keep him hydrated he will likely survive."

"Ah." Starrk settled into his chair, setting himself to wait. There was nothing else he could do.

It took almost two days before they were sure Shunsui would live. Aside from the healers, who knew how to handle an infectious patient, Starrk was the only one allowed to see him. So he was there when the fever finally broke.

"Starrk?" Starrk lifted his head from where he had been dozing. Shunsui was looking at him, his grey eyes tired and pained but clear. "I feel… awful…" He sounded scratchy, like his throat hurt him, badly. Starrk reached for a bottle of water, gently placing the straw between his lips. He sucked on it eagerly, taking the water down.

"I imagine you do. But you're looking better." Starrk said softly. He was no specialist but it looked to him that the fever had gone down, even broken. That was a very hopeful sign. He reached out to brush back a bit of sweaty hair and saw Shunsui smile at the brush of bare skin.

"Give me a kiss?" He asked hopefully and Starrk chuckled softly.

"No. Not while you're still cleaning out the virus. Wait until you're better." Then his immune system would be fully active and capable of handling the virus. Starrk's kisses would pose no threat then. The contrary, they would reinforce his immunity, not allowing it to fade. Shunsui looked briefly disappointed, then smiled again.

"So when I'm better you will?" He asked and Starrk smiled back, enjoying the warmth in those grey eyes.

"Of course I will." How could he not? Shunsui had risked so much, just to get close to him. Starrk wasn't sure if it would last but he definitely wanted to find out.

He did not want to be alone anymore.


End file.
